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Ready, Set...Nominate!

Ontario schools compete to win big honours for their Profs
as nominations begin for TVO's Big Ideas Best Lecturer Competition V
TORONTO, Aug. 5 /CNW/ - The dust has barely settled after TVO's 2009 Big
Ideas Best Lecturer Competition where, for the first time in the history of
the competition, a college professor walked away with the title of Ontario's
Best Lecturer. Once again, it's time to fan those flames of friendly rivalry
and have Ontario's post-secondary schools put their competitive gloves back
on, as the search for the province's best professor kicks off again this year
with the call for nominations.
Beginning this August, TVO is asking Ontario's post-secondary students
and alumni to make their school proud by nominating their favourite lecturers
for the title of Ontario's Best Lecturer in the 2010 Big Ideas Best Lecturer
Competition. Sponsored by TD Insurance Meloche Monnex, nominations for the
fifth Best Lecturer Competition will be accepted starting now through to
October 12, 2009.
Big Ideas is TVO's popular television program, offering lectures on a
variety of thought-provoking topics which range across politics, culture,
economics, art history and science. Created to recognize the best and
brightest lecturers at Ontario's colleges and universities, the Best Lecturer
Competition invites Ontarians to nominate professors whose love of learning
has helped to stimulate imaginations, open eyes and push boundaries in
institutions of higher learning across the province.
"We at TVO abide by the belief that knowledge matters greatly. At times
of rapid and often unsettling change, the role of compelling teachers cannot
be underestimated", says Big Ideas producer Wodek Szemberg. "For the past four
years, the success of the Best Lecturer Competition series has demonstrated
that our viewers are truly engaged with this competition, and feel the need to
recognize and reward the lecturers who display their love of knowledge and the
pleasure they take in conveying it."
To keep the competitive spirit between university and college campuses
alive, TVO upped the ante a few years ago, offering not only much deserved
recognition and bragging rights for the winner, but also presenting the
winning school with a $10,000 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex scholarship. Last
year, professor Rod Carley beat out nine university lecturers in the final
round of competition, garnering the $10,000 TD Insurance Meloche Monnex
scholarship and bragging rights for Canadore College in North Bay. Could a
college once again take the title and the scholarship in this year's
competition? As an added incentive to encourage nominations from across
Ontario's schools, nominators will also automatically be entered into a
contest to win one of two iPod Touch devices.
"Great lecturers have great legacies - because they inspire students to
be the thought leaders of tomorrow," said Paul Douglas, Vice President, TD
Insurance Meloche Monnex. "TD Insurance Meloche Monnex is proud to continue
its longstanding commitment to education by sponsoring the Big Ideas Best
Lecturer Competition - which in turn supports the tradition of great lecturers
in Canada."
This year, nominations can be made by: filling out a nomination form at
www.tvo.org/bigideas or by sending a written entry or a short video with
detailed information on the nominated lecturer to bl@tvo.org with the subject
line "BL 2010 Nomination". In addition, after September 8, nominations will be
accepted on the official TVO Best Lecturer Facebook page (address details to
be announced). Each entry must include the full name of the professor, the
University/College and department where they teach, a short description
(between 50 and 100 words) detailing the reason(s) a professor should be
nominated and the full name, email, address and telephone number of the person
submitting the nomination.
A panel of judges will choose 10 finalists from the nominee list who will
then be invited to deliver complete lectures on Big Ideas beginning March 6,
2010. Viewers will then be invited to grade each of the finalists and cast
their vote for Ontario's next Best Lecturer.
For complete entry details, please visit www.tvo.org/bigideas.
About TVO
TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted
source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and
stimulates curiosity and thought. TVO's vision is to empower people to be
engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. For more information,
visit www.tvo.org.
About TD Insurance Meloche Monnex
TD Insurance Meloche Monnex, the group insurance brand of TD Insurance,
works with over 700 professional, alumni and employer groups across the
country to provide home and auto insurance programs. In business for 60 years,
more than 600,000 clients trust TD Insurance Meloche Monnex with their
insurance needs. TD Insurance, through its TD Insurance Meloche Monnex and TD
Insurance Home and Auto sub-brands, is the largest direct-response insurance
group in Canada. For more information on professional and alumni group
programs visit www.melochemonnex.com; for information on employer group
programs visit www.group.tdinsurance.com.